


Evil Author Day - Love Is Blind Edition

by FaeOrabel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Love Is Blind (2019)
Genre: (probably), Arranged Marriage, Blind Date, Blind Love, Evil Author Day, Evil Author Day 2021, F/F, F/M, Forced Marriage, Harry Potter in the Love Is Blind Universe, Love at First... Speak?, M/M, Marriage Law with a twist, Multi, Prologue only, Sneak Peek, Snippet, Sort of Crossover, Will I ever continue this?, Wizarding Birth Rates are down, Work In Progress, love is blind, marriage law
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29476638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeOrabel/pseuds/FaeOrabel
Summary: When the magical population numbers in Wizarding Britain are down, Kingsley struggles over Wizengamot pressures. He doesn't want to reenact an archaic law just to appease the government, but he knows that the fate of Wizarding Britain is in his hands. If he can't get people married and having children, then they will die out sooner than anyone thought they would.Enter his Muggleborn assistant, who after visiting her parents and watching a new reality tv show, might just have the perfect solution.Can they secure their future as a magical society while also proving once and for all that Love Is Blind?
Relationships: literally so many - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: Evil Author Musings





	Evil Author Day - Love Is Blind Edition

**Author's Note:**

> my contribution for Evil Author Day. 
> 
> I have big big plans for this story but only so much time on my hands, so I'm posting today with no expectation that updates will be forthcoming, but hope you are excited for this as much as I am. 
> 
> I have a lot of background work done on it already thanks to my alpha, KoraKwidditch, but this is about as much substance as I have written. So, it'll be awhile before anything really happens. But you may be able to persuade me otherwise. 
> 
> enjoy!

****

**Love Is Blind**

_by FaeOrabel_

* * *

**Prologue**

page count: 6

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt was made the Minister of Magic several months prior, just shy of a year after the final battle. He was interim Minister before that, but now he had officially been voted in. 

He did many things to make Wizarding Britain better than it ever was since then, but now, he was afraid he may be pushed in a direction he never wanted to go.

Kingsley looked at the census report with a determined resolve. Something needed to be done to get the numbers back up, lest Wizarding Britain die out sooner than anyone thought it would. The numbers were devastating; he knew they would be because of the war, but he didn’t think they would be  _ this _ bad. 

His assistant nervously sat across from him, worried the news that she was about to share would be taken out on her. 

“The Wizengamot is calling for a reinstatement of an old Marriage Law from 1693. The same one they put in place after the Salem Witch Trials almost depleted our population, even if they did kill more Muggles than they realized,” mumbling the last part more to herself than actually telling him what he already knew from history. 

What his new muggleborn assistant, Meredith, told him, he was already well aware of—unfortunately. He did  _ not  _ want to reinstate that law, it took away everything he had been trying to do for the last six months. He wanted the people to trust the government again, and they were getting there with everything he’d already enacted and the attitude of transparency he’d created, but that law would ruin it all. Not only was it archaic, it was completely and totally misogynistic, giving most of the power to the male counterpart in the relationship and not even taking into account other ways people love. 

Kingsley groaned and took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead in frustration. 

“You know that’s not an option,” he repeated for what felt like the seventh time. 

“Well…” Meredith began shyly, “What if we just do something to boost public morale? A lot of people aren’t marrying and having children as they usually would after a war. They’re worried about what side everyone was truly on. With all of the secret Death Eater sympathizer reveals, and so many people coming clean about being a spy against Vol-Voldemort, no one knows if they’ll fall in love with someone they don’t actually know.” 

Meredith squared her shoulders, intent on getting her point across. “What if we show them that it doesn’t matter who someone  _ was _ but who they are  _ now _ ? That everyone can move forward and change their way of thinking.”

Realising she was monologuing, her shy demeanour instantly returned and she shrunk back in her chair. “Or something like that.”

Kingsley chuckled in spite of his anger and raised his eyebrows. 

“Meredith, I’ve told you before, you don’t have to be shy about speaking your mind with me. You’re not going to get in trouble for having thoughts. Go on, what are you thinking? I know you have an idea in there somewhere of  _ how _ we can show all that to the public.”

Meredith gave him a small smile, “Well, I recently watched this dating show when I was visiting my parents. It takes a completely different approach to dating than the usual reality tv—television, like moving pictures—show,” she clarified. 

“I know what television is, love. Continue,” Kinsgley reassured her.

“Oh, okay. Well, it starts out where contestants are in these things called  _ pods _ and they have to get to know each other without ever having seen the other person. They date for a total of ten days—we can shorten that or lengthen it depending on how you feel, sir—and then they choose the person they want to marry. Again, they’ve still never seen each other, but they propose  _ first _ and  _ then _ they get to see each other.”

“Interesting. So, their mutual affection is built solely on an emotional connection, rather than a physical one?” Kingsley asked, scratching his chin. He was intrigued.

“Exactly, sir!” Meredith exclaimed in an excited tone. “Then they get to see each other if the other person accepts, and they spend two weeks on a pre-honeymoon to affirm their connection and create a physical one.”

“Some of the more traditional purebloods won’t like that,” Kingsley chuckled, thinking about the outrage some mothers and fathers would have at the thought of basically encouraging sex before marriage. He remembered lying to his own mother, having lost his virginity in his Hogwarts days like most of his friends. 

“Well, they won’t like most of the experiment, but isn’t that the point? Their children get to pick someone to spend their life with based on a connection rather than pedigree,” Meredith expounded. 

Kingsley nodded and then motioned for her to go on. 

“Well, after they spend their time on their pre-honeymoon, they live together for four weeks, to see if they can actually build a life together. At the end of the experiment, they have their wedding, and if both parties say ‘I do’ then they get married,” Meredith finished with a dreamy smile. 

“I like what you’re saying, but how will we make sure they don’t know the other person’s identity in the adjacent… What did you call them? Pod? Most of the people who would do this experiment would have already known each other most of their lives, correct?” Kingsley asked, trying not to admit he was considering this option.

“Well, that’s what we have magic for, sir! We can institute a clause that no one reveals their names to their opposite date. They could even have fake or code names. Then, we put a voice spell on the pods so that the person hearing it won’t be able to recognise it. It won’t necessarily change their voice, more like having a word on the tip of your tongue, but not being able to remember it.”

Kingsley waved his hand under his desk for his Quick Quotes Quill to start secretly taking notes. “Well, then I guess the next question is, how do we choose who is going to be a part of this experiment? Is it forced or willing participation? Because if it’s forced, I may as well do the Marriage Law.”

“It can be willing participation, but if we truly want this to boost morale, we should have something in place to make sure  _ every _ participant finds their true love. No matter their background or side of the war…” Meredith thought to herself for a moment. “What if we do a questionnaire? We can infuse it with a bit of magic that will help us choose who we decide to put in the experiment? A bit of Divination and Charms work is all it would take; I’m sure the Committee on Experimental Charms can whip something up. Then we know that if the participants end up on the experiment together they are definitely going to find their perfect match. We just have to let the experiment do its work.”

“I hate to say it, but I think you’re convincing me here, Meredith,” Kingsley shook his head. It sounded insane, and he was bound to have some people file complaints with his office. But that had been happening since he was elected Minister.

“We could broadcast it through the Daily Prophet and the Wizarding Wireless, since I know the Wizarding World doesn’t have television,” Meredith suggested. 

Kingsley nodded, getting the Daily Prophet on board with this plan would be a sure-fire way to keep the smear campaigns to a minimum. As long as he fed minor details here and there about what the experiment would entail without giving everything away, they would be satiated for a short while as they tried to come to their own conclusions. 

“Yes, that would work. We can also use the Prophet to get the word out that we are accepting questionnaires and where to send them. There’s also a new spell—it would take a bit of manipulation, but we could use it as a basis to make the show able to be watched like one of those Muggle television shows.” The plan was starting to grow on Kingsley.

“I think it would be a good idea to let some of the more… popular people know beforehand. So that we can maybe get some big names in on the experiment and its benefits to  _ ensure _ they fill out a questionnaire. It might get more people willing to fill one out themselves.”

“Who are you thinking, Meredith?” Kingsley asked, noting the twinkle in his assistants eye. 

“Well… Harry Potter, to start. Maybe Draco Malfoy?” Meredith suggested. “The whole Golden Trio would be ideal, but I’m not quite sure they’ll all be on board with this idea.”

Meredith and Kingsley both knew who she was talking about. 

“And what is this experiment going to be called?” Kingsley asked and sat back in his chair, thankful for a final alternative to what’s stressed him out for weeks. 

“Well, the Muggles called it: Love is Blind.”

  
  



End file.
